New owner 2 Ball Pythons, my setup, and some questions

[Viper0hr]

Hey there, I have been browsing this site for a few days for info on care for my pythons, and decided to post with my setup and some questions since the people here seem nice and knowledgeable, hope that is ok!

Backstory:
I had a young female Ball Python years ago that I ended up giving to a friend who was a breeder.
I now have 2 BPs I bought local with a full setup last week from someone I knew who was moving, no one else wanted them and I told my friend I would take them if no one else did. I paid $100 for a large tank setup, 3 reptile socket/hoods, small heating pad, enclosure hides, feeder mice, and 2 BPs (1 large 4ft and 1 smaller/slimmer 2-3ft).
The person I got them from was a "good" pet owner, but I don't think they knew proper care for BPs. They had one normal lightbulb in a reptile socket/hood, the small heating pad under the far right side (UNREGULATED!), and only fed them once a month (2-3 mice for the small and 5 for the large).
They said that the small one is 3-4 years and the large 8 years or so, and that they have lived together for over 2 years with no issue/breeding, I do not know the genders of either.


This is the setup exactly as I got it:




So, I hold the feeling that if you own an animal it should be treated far better than it would live normally, so I have spent over 2 times what i paid for the whole snake setup already just to try and keep them "well" :/

I cannot afford to get a nicer "reptile/snake only" enclosure (There are some really cool ones I have seen on here), so I bought stuff to make this one better.
This includes a larger zoo med heating pad (It is currently unplugged until my Herpstat gets here), a Herpstat (Still has not shipped due to the holidays), some coca husk bedding (Just trying it out, there is reptile carpet in there under it as you can see), 2 heat bulbs (I got a walmart one asap then got an actual one from a reptile store local), a no contact thermometer, as well as some mic temp/humidity gauges.

I did a huge deep clean, including cleaning all the hides/plants, tank, and even the flooring (Which turned the sink water BLACK, I don't think it had ever been washed). Added some coca husk bedding, setup the tank as it was, and made sure to get it to an ok temp before putting them in there. I also lined the back and sides of the tank with white paper, then foil, as well as foil 2/3 of the top screen lid. I did add the smaller heating pad to the back of the tank wall (You can see it in pics) just to have and since I did not have the underside one hooked up yet (it's the largest one ZooMed sells and covers right about 1/3 of the tank, it goes from the right wall to the left rock hide where the small snake stays) IT IS NOT ON THOUGH because it gets up to 100 F and I did not want my snakes to get burned.

As it is now, with the light and no pads on, the tank is around 80-82 overall, with the right side being 82-85ish with some hot spots on the rocks/branch at 90-95 (Light is a 150W reptile bulb on a dimmer, it's at like half power), but the floor seems to be 79/80-83 under the hides for the most part, and that is where the snakes stay 80% of the time I see them.

This is what the cage looks like as of now.



And the snakes:




Ok, so sorry if that was ramble like, but now I have some questions/concerns if you read all that lol.

They have never tried to strike/bite me or anyone in my family since I got them, they do roam somewhat at night and occasionally during the day, and flick their tongues frequently (that's good from what I read), they do skirt thier heads away from me quickly sometimes, as if I surprised them, but it's not often and I try to keep my hands in their view to not spook them. The large one will let me actively lightly hold it's head in between my fingers and stroke/rub it, only occasionally pulling away/moving away. The smaller one will allow me to do the same, but briefly, and not for long, I was told he was always skittish but he seems to not be that bad from what I have seen.

MY BIGGEST ISSUE
As I said there was a head pad unregulated, it went only under the large rock on the right, and I think it has burned the large BP, here are some pics but it's kind of hard to make out the light pink tone:


I had read how important a temp regulator for the pads were right after I bought mine so I hooked it up and have left it unplugged, I ordered a Herpstat because I read the cheap ones were just that, cheap and shoddy, so i am waiting till it gets here to use the pad.
My ? for this is, is there a treatment/anything I can/should do about this burn if that is what it is? And if this is burn should I wait till it is healed to hook up the herpstat and pad (I know it should heat the floor to 90-92F), or would that help/be ok???



I do have some issues with humidity, it's in the 30-40 on average but I spray atm, and I am hoping the the pad instead of light will help that. I bought the coca mainly to try and help with that and it was only $7.



The person I got them from fed them feeder mice, and had/gave me a cage with a good bit of them, they fed them once a month and 2-3 for the small and 5 for the large. I don't want to switch to rats yet since I have all these mice (I am feeding them the males ASAP), and I have not fed them since I bought them, i was told they had not been fed in a few weeks since they were selling them and wanted them to get re homed first (They have started roaming so I know they want food now)...Any thoughts/preferences on feeding schedule and if the multiple mice at a time should be ok? (I watched tons of videos on feeding them live mice, bag trick and pencil if needed, and wait till they eat one for the next), and I was thinking of waiting till the Herpstat arrived to feed them since I read that the 90F belly helps with digestion, but they should be fine anyways right?



I have an extra half log hide too, are the 2 rocks on the right ok, or should I swap to a half log there too?



Any recommendations for giving them a bath? Mainly temp info?



Thoughts on reptile carpet?




That's all for now, sorry if it seems all over the place, I had meant to write this the other day but just got time now and just wrote and asked what I could think of, I may add more later. I have been reading and watching videos non stop in my free time to provide the best care and life that I can to my BPs, and just wanted to get some opinions/ideas from you guys here since this site seems to be filled with well minded people.

Thanks for any help!

[KMG]

[Coluber42]

For starters, cohabbing ball pythons is not generally recommended. There are people who do it, but at the very least they need a larger enclosure with more hides and stuff in it than they would if they were living individually, and they definitely need to be fed separately. Your tank looks like it's an OK size for one snake, but not for two (which should not be taken as an endorsement of housing them together!).
So if funds are tight for now, I would make saving up or scrounging for another tank some kind of medium term priority so they can each have their own space.

For feeding, they need to be separated so they don't accidentally hurt each other. Give them the mice one at a time. If you can switch them over to eating frozen/thawed rats that will make things a lot more convenient - one appropriately-sized prey that you can keep on hand without having to keep shopping for live, and dead prey can't bite.

They don't need baths unless they go squirming through piles of poop and are covered in it.

The rock hides are fine; better than the half logs, because the half logs are too open. A variety of hides is not a bad thing IMO, although others here will recommend two identical ones.

For humidity, cover as much of the screen top as you can with foil or saran wrap to reduce the amount of open screen through which your humid air can escape.

Reptile carpet seems like more trouble than it's worth to me, although I think there are folks here who use it. Coco husk bedding is a good choice for retaining humidity, but only if it actually has some moisture in it to begin with. It's very absorbent though, so you can spray it down pretty liberally or even just pour some water into it (not so much that your substrate turns to mud or soup though!) and that will help keep the humidity up over the course of the day. It's also very easy to spot clean in; you just scoop up the area around the mess. If you use paper towels or reptile carpet, you have to pick up all the furniture and replace the whole piece.

The belly picture you showed is a little hard to see anything much in; it could be a minor burn, or it could be just pink belly as a result of heading into shed. If you really think it's likely to be a burn, a vet trip is a good idea.

It sounds like your temperatures are good enough, so you don't need the heater on the back wall. Since you already stuck it there, you might as well leave it as a backup heat source just in case, but your temperatures sound fine just with the lamps. Although speaking of lamps, despite what the marketing tells you, snakes actually can see red light. It's not an emergency, but at some point you might get a ceramic heat emitter, which is basically a bulb that emits heat but no light. It can go into the same fixture you already have.

[shelpen]

Whah?

[Viper0hr]

For starters, cohabbing ball pythons is not generally recommended. There are people who do it, but at the very least they need a larger enclosure with more hides and stuff in it than they would if they were living individually, and they definitely need to be fed separately. Your tank looks like it's an OK size for one snake, but not for two (which should not be taken as an endorsement of housing them together!).
So if funds are tight for now, I would make saving up or scrounging for another tank some kind of medium term priority so they can each have their own space.

For feeding, they need to be separated so they don't accidentally hurt each other. Give them the mice one at a time. If you can switch them over to eating frozen/thawed rats that will make things a lot more convenient - one appropriately-sized prey that you can keep on hand without having to keep shopping for live, and dead prey can't bite.

They don't need baths unless they go squirming through piles of poop and are covered in it.

The rock hides are fine; better than the half logs, because the half logs are too open. A variety of hides is not a bad thing IMO, although others here will recommend two identical ones.

For humidity, cover as much of the screen top as you can with foil or saran wrap to reduce the amount of open screen through which your humid air can escape.

Reptile carpet seems like more trouble than it's worth to me, although I think there are folks here who use it. Coco husk bedding is a good choice for retaining humidity, but only if it actually has some moisture in it to begin with. It's very absorbent though, so you can spray it down pretty liberally or even just pour some water into it (not so much that your substrate turns to mud or soup though!) and that will help keep the humidity up over the course of the day. It's also very easy to spot clean in; you just scoop up the area around the mess. If you use paper towels or reptile carpet, you have to pick up all the furniture and replace the whole piece.

The belly picture you showed is a little hard to see anything much in; it could be a minor burn, or it could be just pink belly as a result of heading into shed. If you really think it's likely to be a burn, a vet trip is a good idea.

It sounds like your temperatures are good enough, so you don't need the heater on the back wall. Since you already stuck it there, you might as well leave it as a backup heat source just in case, but your temperatures sound fine just with the lamps. Although speaking of lamps, despite what the marketing tells you, snakes actually can see red light. It's not an emergency, but at some point you might get a ceramic heat emitter, which is basically a bulb that emits heat but no light. It can go into the same fixture you already have.

Hey thanks for responding!

I had read that you should not house them together, they seem to get along fine though, and have lived together for 2+ years from what I was told, is it truly that bad of an issue? Money is not tight enough that I could not get an extra tank if needed sometime soon, though if I were to upgrade/get another I would want to get a non aquarium "good one". I have seen the PVC and pro made ones, as well as wood ones (There is someone local who makes/sells wooden ones for $125 link: https://pensacola.craigslist.org/for/5853632326.html )

I know to separate them for feeding and I plan to feed them in a separate container.

Ok on the bath thing, I had heard that they sometimes liked baths/soaking for a short period on occasion, so i figured I'd ask.

For the belly picture I figured it would be hard to see, it's just very lightly pinkish all along the belly, no where near as bad as pictures I saw online of "snake burn" (even the lightest of them).

Glad to hear the temps are good, that was my biggest concern. I live in North Florida, and this time of year it can be 80 in the day and 30 at night sometimes.

[Viper0hr]

Whah?

He is waiting to see what happens

ie:
Michael Jackson eating popcorn.

[KMG]

Whah?

He is waiting to see what happens

ie:
Michael Jackson eating popcorn.

Yep, these threads usually get going pretty good with difference of opinions.

[Viper0hr]

Yep, these threads usually get going pretty good with difference of opinions.

Haha yeah I had gathered that from what I have read over the week already, though like many say, one BPs way of care is completely different than others. In some senses anyways lol.

I'm all down for many different opinions though, and will test and work with what works. I mainly want to provide the best life and care I can, so I wanted to get other owners opinions in addition to all the research I have done already, especially since there is alot of conflicting info out there lol.

[Viper0hr]

Also, Can they really see red light!?! If so that kind of makes me mad as I bought that light specifically to use 24hrs if possible just to provide heat if needed. I plan on not using heat lights/heaters at all other than the UTH when my Herpstat comes in though, the long one at 90-92 should keep the tank in a nice 80ish overall,a nd I have 75 watt nightbulb I can use for the hot side if needed.

[KMG]

The main issue is it can be hard for both snakes to get what they need if the other one is already in the spot they need. As in if they both want the warm hide. They may not fit so they can both get the heat they desire leaving one stuck out.

If the cage was big enough to offer more than one heat spot and cool spot you would be much better off. I don't believe the tank they are in is really large enough for the two.

Personally Id get them two nice pvc cages and get them set up each with their own space.


As for the reptile carpet Ive never used it and from what I have seen it is not that great of an option. I use a mixture of cypress, Eco, and Repti Bark.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, Can they really see red light!?! If so that kind of makes me mad as I bought that light specifically to use 24hrs if possible just to provide heat if needed. I plan on not using heat lights/heaters at all other than the UTH when my Herpstat comes in though, the long one at 90-92 should keep the tank in a nice 80ish overall,a nd I have 75 watt nightbulb I can use for the hot side if needed.

A red bulb is fine.